Love lost, love gained
by Michelle Kai ou
Summary: Quatre lost the love of his life...how does he cope?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Not mine, but don't sue.  
  
"Well, what do you expect from me, Quatre? I'm only human! I have eyes, but I can't use them?!" Dorothy yelled.  
  
Not for the first time in their "blissful" mansion, Quatre and Dorothy were arguing.  
  
"Not to ogle at other men!" Quatre yelled back, his arms flailing in frustration.  
  
The two had their ups and downs, but they were never quite this miserable the first year of their marriage. The problems started 3 months ago, two weeks after their first wedding anniversary.  
  
"I wasn't ogling Quatre! I barely glanced in his direction! And you should know I would never have an interest in Duo Maxwell!"  
  
Quatre had been working late hours and was becoming very cranky. Dorothy had a secret she couldn't handle. They had problems, but (unlikely for the two) they wouldn't talk and instead fought.  
  
"How would I know? You show your interest in men in many different ways. You STABBED ME!"  
  
"Don't bring that up now! That was YEARS ago!"  
  
Angry, confused, and partially drunk, Quatre struck Dorothy across the face with his hand. Her head whipped to her right and she put her hand to her face. Then she stared at Quatre. Surprised, hurt, and partially frightened she ran upstairs, fighting back tears that soon stung her cheeks. She was alarmed by his actions.  
  
Quatre was also alarmed. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the house, getting into his BMW and wanting to get away, not caring that he was partially drunk and that the anger would probably make him reckless.  
  
He drove away from the house, not quite sure where he was going and wanting only to drive away.  
  
Dorothy heard the car squeal out of the driveway. She angrily shut the curtains closed and then walked to the bed in their room. She fell onto it, wanting to now cry, but unable to do so. She breathed deeply and sat up, not quite sure what to do. She picked up the phone and dialed in Relena's number.  
  
Relena picked up her ringing phone and gave Heero, who seemed very angry at whoever it was that was disturbing their "alone time" from the two- year-old twins.  
  
"Hello, Relena Yuy speaking," Relena said, sounding as aloof as possible. She then put a hand to the receiver and hissed, "Heero!" as his hand slid underneath the comforter.  
  
"Relena, it's Dorothy. I'm sorry to wake you, but...I needed someone to talk to," Dorothy said nervously. "You're not busy, are you?"  
  
Relena gave the very lustful Heero a glance, but said, "No, I'm not busy." She heard Heero groan.  
  
Dorothy sighed. "Thanks, Relena."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm having problems with Quatre. We've been...fighting. And I've been holding out on him."  
  
"You haven't been having sex?" Under her breath, Relena added, "No wonder you've been fighting."  
  
"Are you done yet?" Heero asked impatiently.  
  
Relena looked down below his waist and her eyes grew wide. "I'll try," she mouthed.  
  
Dorothy continued. "No, we have. And that's the problem. I haven't told him yet, but...I'm pregnant."  
  
"You are?" Relena asked, surprised. She sat up.  
  
"She's what?" Heero mused.  
  
"Pregnant," Relena whispered.  
  
"Oh, poor Quatre," Heero muttered. "Having a pregnant woman around the house is no picnic. I hope it's not twins. That's even worse."  
  
Relena hit his hand and turned back to the phone. "Dorothy, why haven't you told him?"  
  
"We've never talked about it. This is big. And I don't know how he'll react. Bu I want to tell him. And I know he thinks I'm hiding something from him."  
  
"I had problems telling Heero about the twins, too. But you won't regret it. And neither will he."  
  
"Thanks, Relena." Dorothy heard the front door slam. "He's home. I have to go."  
  
Heero again slid his hand under the comforter. "And so do I," Relena said before she hung up the phone.  
  
Dorothy hung up her end and ran downstairs, hoping Quatre would be in a better mood. "Quatre! I have something to tell you," she called as she made the last few steps down.  
  
Quatre was staring at her strangely. He seemed almost afraid of what she was going to say. She had a serious look on her face. "What is it?"  
  
Dorothy took his hand and led him into the livingroom. She made him sit on the large couch and sat down beside him. "I-I know we've been having problems with our relationship. And I don't think that it's-" She trailed off.  
  
Quatre became pale. He clasped her hand. "What are you trying to tell me?" he asked hoarsely.  
  
Dorothy noticed this. 'Does he know what I'm trying to say?' She unconsciously pulled her hand away.  
  
Quatre became paler. His fears were true. 'She's going to leave me.'  
  
For a while, no one spoke. Then the two spoke at the same time. "I'm pregnant."  
  
"Don't leave."  
  
Dorothy stared at Quatre in shock and Quatre stared at her. "Don't leave? I-I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"You're pregnant? But-Oh boy." Then realization that Dorothy would not leave him struck Quatre like a club. His eyes lit up with pleasure when he finally was able to let the news that he was going to be a father seep through. "That's terrific news!" He pulled her to her feet and deeply kissed her.  
  
Dorothy kissed him back, content that he wasn't mad.  
  
~Five Months Later~  
  
"Dorothy! You shouldn't be going up the stairs!" Quatre exclaimed when he came home from work to find Dorothy about to go upstairs with her hand on the railing.  
  
Dorothy turned around and smiled. "Quatre, I'm fine," she protested when he came over and tried to walk her to the elevator he installed in the house. "I just wanted to check on the baby's room."  
  
"You know it's not done yet," Quatre replied. "You're only seven months along. You can wait."  
  
"Oh, all right." She followed him into the livingroom. "How was work?"  
  
"Hm? Oh, another uneventful day. I would've rather been at home with you."  
  
Dorothy laughed. "You're such a liar." She suddenly put her hand to her stomache, then winced in pain. "Q-Quatre. I think I'm going into labor."  
  
"What?! How is that possible? You've two months early!"  
  
"I don't care about how it's possible. I'm going to have this baby, Quatre!"  
  
Quatre went into a state of panic. His wife was having a baby. But it was 2 months early. He managed to regain his composure. "I'll get your hospital bag, Jeremiah will drive you to the hospital. JEREMIAH!" The chauffer stepped into the house. "Drive Dorothy to the hospital. She's in labor."  
  
"Right, sir." Jeremiah helped Dorothy out of the house while Quatre ran upstairs to get the hospital bag in their bedroom.  
  
"Why did we leave it up there?" Quatre asked outloud. He heard the car speed off as he grabbed the bag from their room and ran back downstairs. Quatre pulled his car keys out of his pants' pocket and ran outside into his BMW, throwing the bag into the back. Then he realized he forgot about everyone else. After a while of thinking and debating among himself, he finally decided the others should know and that Dorothy would be safe with Jeremiah. He ran back into the house and got ready to call everyone else.  
  
Quatre ran up the steps that it took to get inside the hospital. He knew that by now everyone was already there. Relena, even though she was a pacifist and against law-breaking, would want Heero to speed to get to the hospital, despite the fact that they had the twins, Odin and Marie, with them. Duo was always up the law-breaking, and Hilde, though normally the one who calmed him down, would be there urging him on. Zechs and Noin lived close by. Trowa and Catharine were performing in the hospital. Wufei and Sally would be catching a ride with Zechs and Noin since when Quatre called they were over there.  
  
When Quatre ran up, Relena was already there to greet her. But she wasn't smiling as she should've been. He read the look in her eyes easily. "What? What is it? Is the baby all right?" he asked ner nervously.  
  
Relena nodded. "The baby's fine," she said softly.  
  
His eyes grew larger. "Then-But-What's wrong with Dorothy?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Quatre," Relena said softly.  
  
Quatre stared at her, then ran inside into the waiting room where he found everyone else sitting looking exactly as Relena had. A doctor stepped out and he practically attacked him asking frantically, "What's wrong? What's the matter with my wife."  
  
"You must be Mr. Winner," the doctor said a bit sadly. "I'm sorry, but your wife passed away."  
  
"What?" Quatre let go of the doctor and fell against the wall. "No. That can't be possible. We haven't even celebrated our second anniversary yet," he said through sobs.  
  
"I'm sorry, man," Duo said, patting him on the back.  
  
Quatre was barely aware of it as he continued to weep. He barely heard the doctor say, "You can see your daughter in a little bit."  
  
'A daughter,' somewhere in his mind said. 


	2. 

"How's he been?" Hilde asked Relena when the blonde opened the door to the Winner mansion. Everyone was taking turns taking care of the baby girl that Quatre had not yet named. They waited for him to do it.  
  
Relena shook her head gravely. "Not much better," she said, her voice as dead as her expression. "He won't come out of his room and he hasn't even seen her yet.  
  
Hilde knew immediately who 'her' was and nodded. "Go home to Heero. I'll stay here tonight," she said gently.  
  
Relena nodded and went into the livingroom, then soon appeared with a small bag on her arm. "She's in the livingroom," Relena said before she departed.  
  
Hilde went into the livingroom where a small baby was sleeping in a playpen for children. It had platinum blonde hair that was shiny like Dorothy's. Hilde wanted to cry when she saw her. She was immediately brought to the day of the funeral.  
  
It was a dark day, as though the skies of Earth were mourning for Dorothy, and many people had appeared. They were all friends or close associates of Dorothy and the park was filled with black. Quatre had shown up for a bit, then he left. That was even before the priest began the eulogy.  
  
There were sobs heard everywhere and Hilde didn't find it too unusual that Quatre had left, but she didn't expect him to retreat into his room for the entire month.  
  
The baby in the pen reminded Hilde so much of Dorothy. Not only in appearance, but in demeanor. She was so quiet and so obedient, and yet seemed so intelligent and outspoken when she had to be to get her point across to others, such as when she wanted milk. But she didn't remind Hilde only of her friend, but of the pain Quatre was now going through. It was amazing how something so fragile and beautiful could cause so much pain.  
  
Hilde resigned herself to the couch and pulled out a magazine, reading.  
  
"She's almost a year old! She can't go on unnamed," Hilde protested to Duo, who was playing with the blonde girl in his arms. Her hair had grown shoulder-length and she looked like the image of her mother with those steely, blue eyes of hers.  
  
Duo shook his head firmly to his wife. "No. Quatre should be able to name his own child."  
  
"But what if he never comes out of that room?"  
  
"He will," Duo said softly. "Hilde, trust me. Quatre will get over it."  
  
Hilde shook her head. "He won't. He loved Dorothy. I fear that he's going to be stuck in that funk all his life. His daughter shouldn't have to suffer because of it."  
  
"Let's compromise," Duo said after a long silence. "We'll take him upstairs and make him see her on her birthday. How's that?"  
  
Hilde sighed. It wasn't the plan she had in mind, but it was more than she expected out of her hotheaded husband. "Fine."  
  
Quatre lay in bed. He stared blankly at the sidewall and turned up only when he heard the knock at his door. "Who is it?" he asked, his voice raspy. He hadn't eaten much or drunk much in the past week. Or at least he thought so. One easily lost track of time when one had been lying in bed for about a year. In fact, he only got up to go to the bathroom.  
  
"Quatre, there's someone that wants to see you," came Sally's gentle voice.  
  
Quatre looked up. "Who?"  
  
"Your daughter," Trowa said from the other side.  
  
This immediately woke Quatre from his trance. His daughter. Gods, he hadn't even laid eyes on her yet. What did she look like? He suddenly began to wonder as he stood up and groggily walked to the door. Then he paused. His daughter. Dorothy. What would he do when he saw her? He wasn't ready to be a father by himself. Dorothy wasn't there to help him.  
  
"I-" he began, but he trailed off.  
  
"Quatre?" Relena asked on the other side. "Don't you want to see her?"  
  
Quatre paused. Did he?  
  
"Quatre, open the door," Duo said firmly and yet gently.  
  
He would have to face it sooner or later. He would have to face Dorothy's death. He opened the door slowly to see all his friends standing outside. In Hilde's arms was a baby girl staring at him with big turquoise eyes and shiny, sharp platinum blonde hair.  
  
"It's your daughter," Hilde said softly.  
  
All of Quatre's doubts went away. Hilde set the baby in his arms and his lips twitched in a smile. "Dorothy," he finally said. "My baby Dorothy."  
  
::Warning:: The author is trying to choke herself. Hehe. How sappy was that? ::sweatdrop:: Well, that's it. Please review. Jya! 


End file.
